Languages

Lac du Bois

French Language Village
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THE

possibilities

About the Village

Since 1962, villagers at Lac du Bois have experienced the “grand simulation” of living in another language and participating in cultural activities from a variety of French-speaking countries. From le batik (fabric art with wax and dye) to chanson et danse (songs and dance), villagers at Lac du Bois have an abundance of choices for les activités. Whether just learning bonjour or reciting Baudelaire, villagers progress through skills and vocabulary at their level and pace through a blend of listening, speaking, reading, writing and conversational activities. Find chez toi (your place) at Lac du Bois, or check out our French adventure canoeing excursion, Les Voyageurs!

Lac du Bois
Football in the North Woods
Lac du Bois
Culturally Appropriate Cuisine
Lac du Bois
Campfire Songs
Lac du Bois
Peace and Tranquility of Turtle River Lake
Lac du Bois
Archery
Lac du Bois
Music From the French-Speaking World
Lac du Bois
Paris: Our Dining Hall
Lac du Bois
Language Learning
Lac du Bois
Evening Program
Lac du Bois
Building Community
Lac du Bois
Friendships for a Lifetime
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Lac du Bois
Dancing with Friends
a group of young people standing around a wooden table
Lac du Bois
Woodworking
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Experience

Lac du Bois

A Lifetime of Learning

From our flagship summer youth camps to family programs and adults-only sessions, Concordia Language Villages provides a lifetime of language learning and cultural adventure. Find the program that’s right for you!

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Youth Overnight

Season: Summer

Duration: 1 Week | 2 Weeks | 4 Weeks

Our flagship Language Village camps where language comes to life. A fully immersive cultural experience.

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High School Credit

Season: Year-round

Duration: 4 Weeks | 24 Weeks

Earn a year’s worth of language credit in just four weeks (24 weeks for Virtual fall/spring option). Accredited by Cognia.

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Adventure Day Camp

Season: Summer

Duration: 1 Week

Daytime programming for young villagers ready to explore the Village experience without overnight stays.

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Youth Virtual

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Keep your Language Village experience going all year long with our Virtual Clubs, Classes and High School Credit programs.

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Family Weeks & Weekends

Season: Year-round

Duration: 2 Days | 3 Days | 1 Week

Fun and learning for the whole family (and friends)! Enjoy culturally immersive activities, meals and tailored learning.

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Adult Overnight

Season: Year-round

Duration: 3 Days | 1 Week

Learn a new language or advance your skills in a fully immersive environment. Choose from Workshops, Weekends or Week-long programs.

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School & Educator

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Special programming for school groups and language educators. Introduce your students to cultural immersion or advance your own education!

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Government & Corporate

Season: Year-round

Duration: Varies

Training for military, healthcare and corporate clients, with customizable programming designed to bridge cultures and break language barriers.

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Upcoming French Camps & Programs

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French Club Lac du Bois
Youth Virtual
|
French
Dates:
Mar 9
-
Apr 20
2024
Location:
Virtual
Ages 10 - 18
Cost: $
230
Skip 3/30/24 for Easter
Registration closes
Feb 28, 2024
Male openings:
11
|
Female openings:
12
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
September 19, 2023
French Adult Week
Adult Overnight
|
French
Dates:
Apr 29
-
May 5
2024
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 18 - 99
Cost: $
1195
Standard price $1195 65+ and students $1100 Join us for an overnight French immersion program for adults this spring at Lac du Bois! Immerse yourself in French language and culture with engaging activities, small language learning groups and delicious culturally appropriate meals.
Registration closes
Apr 1, 2024
Male openings:
16
|
Female openings:
2
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
August 24, 2023
French Adventure Day Camp
Adventure Day Camp
|
French
Dates:
Jun 10
-
Jun 14
2024
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 6 - 11
Cost: $
375
Registration closes
May 10, 2024
Male openings:
18
|
Female openings:
12
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 11, 2023
French Youth One Week
Youth Overnight
|
French
Dates:
Jun 10
-
Jun 15
2024
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 7 - 12
Cost: $
1345
Registration closes
May 10, 2024
Male openings:
6
|
Female openings:
40
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 11, 2023
French High School Credit
Youth Overnight
|
French
Dates:
Jun 17
-
Jul 13
2024
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 13 - 18
Cost: $
5710
Registration closes
May 17, 2024
Male openings:
17
|
Female openings:
6
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 11, 2023
French Youth Four Week
Youth Overnight
|
French
Dates:
Jun 17
-
Jul 13
2024
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 12 - 15
Cost: $
5400
Registration closes
May 17, 2024
Male openings:
3
|
Female openings:
0
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 11, 2023
French Youth Two Week
Youth Overnight
|
French
Dates:
Jun 17
-
Jun 29
2024
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 8 - 14
Cost: $
2600
Registration closes
May 17, 2024
Male openings:
10
|
Female openings:
15
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
October 11, 2023
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Upcoming Holiday Workshops

European Holiday Workshop
Adult Overnight
|
European
Dates:
Dec 6
-
Dec 8
2024
Location:
Bemidji
Ages 21 - 99
Cost: $
325
Registration fee $50
Registration closes
Nov 22, 2024
Male openings:
30
|
Female openings:
30
Register NowJoin Waitlist
Session Full
Registration Closed
Limited Availibility
Registration opens on
March 10, 2024
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Government & Corporate Programs

A global outlook is important for success in the domestic and international arena. Concordia Language Villages offers customized corporate, government and military training programs to meet the specific needs of our clients.

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LEARN ABOUT

scholarship

OPPORTUNITIES

Need-based scholarships are available for French summer youth immersion sessions through the Passport Fund. Scholarships are based on a family’s adjusted gross income, number of dependents and the length of the session.

Additionally, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education offers a $1,000 stipend for Minnesota students who qualify for free or reduced lunch at school.

Find Additional Information Here

Our Location:

Lac du Bois

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Turtle River Lake

The Lac du Bois site on Turtle River Lake was built to make you feel as though you’ve magically happened upon a French village. Every detail of this Village—from the mailboxes to the street signs to the menus—are authentic to francophone countries. This comfortable, modernized site was built in 1993. The cabins and central buildings are inspired by the architecture of the francophone world.

We have three distinct groups of cabins at Lac du Bois: Le Centre Ville (downtown), La Campagne (the countryside) and Les Montagnes (the mountains). Each cabin sleeps 16, including at least two counselors, and all cabins have electricity, bunk beds and a small amount of space to store personal belongings. The centrally located bathroom and shower facilities are shared among cabins.

Our central building, Paris, serves as our dining hall and gathering place, particularly if it’s chilly or rainy. In nice weather, we’d rather sing songs in our amphitheater in the woods or at our fire ring at la plage, our beach on Turtle River Lake.

The site includes other features inspired by France and the francophone world — we have a gravel court to play the traditional sport of pétanque (lawn bowling), a boukarou (traditional round hut from Cameroon), fountain, giant chess set and even our very own Eiffel Tower!

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meet

OUR

team

Read more about our professional staff at Lac du Bois, our French Language Village.

Cliff Benoît Schwartz

Dean

Cliff Benoît Schwartz is the Dean of Lac du Bois (summer first half). He has worked in the summer program at Lac du Bois in multiple roles since 2003, serving as dean since 2015. Benoît earned his bachelor's degree in French education and theatre education from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. He has studied at Université Rennes 2 in Rennes, Brittany, France and has studied abroad with the Indiana University Honor’s Program in Foreign Languages for High School Students in Brest, France. Benoît is a French teacher at Edina High School in Edina, Minn., teaching French courses in both the traditional and immersion programs and has traveled with students to Quebec several times.

Katherine Chantal Dutko

Dean

Chantal has worked at Concordia Language Villages since 2004, at Lac du Bois, El Lago del Bosque and Les Voyageurs. When not in Bemidji, Chantal works in humanitarian aid and development abroad. She is currently the Head of Programs for an international NGO in Egypt and has previously managed education and youth programs in Iraq, Pakistan and Guatemala, worked on development projects in Niger and taught in France. Chantal holds a B.A. in French Studies from Dartmouth College and a masters in International Development from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Megan Mirabelle Baldwin

Program Leader

Megan Mirabelle Baldwin is part of the year-round staff in our facilities department with a special focus on risk management for all the Villages. She also serves as our liaison with the American Camp Association and currently sits on the Local Council of Leaders as the Membership Chair in our region. After spending a year as an exchange student with the Rotary in France, she discovered the Language Villages and fellow francophone culture enthusiasts. As a longtime staff member at the French Language Village, she honed her skills in sharing culture through art and baking activities. Megan is the program leader for our European Holiday Workshop.

Nicole Anderson

Program Leader

Nicole enjoys leading activities and teaching French experientially to students of all ages, in classroom and out of the classroom contexts. She has been on staff at Concordia Language Villages for many years, and has led a great variety of programs. Her favorite pastimes are traveling and speaking French, as well as spending time with family and friends in the out of doors – especially canoeing, camping, skiing, cycling and singing around the campfire. Nicole has lived abroad in France and in Switzerland.

Vanessa Vaughan

Program Leader

Vanessa leads the virtual Club Lac du Bois, as well as the French family weekend. Currently a resident of Minneapolis, she lived for two years in Amiens, France and has worked at Lac du Bois (in its overnight and virtual programs) since 2007. She can often be seen at these programs playing French-language music on the piano and guitar. Other hobbies of hers include painting and vintage video games.

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Work at Concordia Language Villages

Concordia Language Villages staff may speak a Village language, creatively teach culture, work and play hard. They also develop skills and qualities that will make them excellent employees in any field.